The present invention relates generally to methods and procedures for measuring and adjusting vehicle wheel alignment settings, such as caster, camber, and toe angles, and in particular, to methods and procedures for measuring and adjusting vehicle wheel alignment settings to provide a desired vehicle handling characteristic on vehicles configured with modified or altered suspension systems.
Conventional vehicle wheel alignment systems such as those manufactured and sold by Hunter Engineering Company of Bridgeton, Mo. generally consist of a set of sensors for acquiring measurements related to current vehicle wheel alignment angles, and a computer system configured with one or more software programs adapted for utilizing the acquired measurements to guide an operator to adjust components of the vehicle suspension system until the vehicle wheel alignment angles match one or more manufacturer's specifications. Conventional systems may include wheel-mounted alignment angle sensors, such as the DSP-500 sensors, or camera-based sensors, such as the DSP-600 sensors, both of which are manufactured and sold by Hunter Engineering Company. A conventional computer system configured with one or more vehicle wheel alignment software programs, and configured for use with the aforementioned sensors is the Hunter Engineering Series 811 wheel alignment console.
Adjustment of the components of a vehicle's suspension system to meet a vehicle manufacturer's specifications is suitable for the majority of vehicles undergoing an alignment adjustment procedure. However, if a vehicle's suspension system has been modified from the original manufacturer's design, such as through the use of suspension-lowering components, as is commonly found in modified or customized vehicles, the manufacturer's specifications may no longer be suitable for optimal performance nor optimal tire wear of the vehicle.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a vehicle wheel alignment system with methods and procedures for adjusting the alignment of modified or customized vehicles to meet one or more desired vehicle handling or performance characteristics.